Indeed, it was President Obama’s desire to make a radical break with the Bush doctrine that is the source of so much of what Dueck finds wanting with the current administration’s foreign policy. Conservative American Realism would seek to restore an equilibrium between retrenchment and over-reaction to the challenges of the day.

In this sense, Conservative American Realism would resemble the Republican foreign policies that won the Cold War. This alone makes The Obama Doctrine a must read for anyone seeking the oval office in 2016, as well as anyone interested in American foreign policy more generally.

Zachary Keck is managing editor of The National Interest. You can find him on Twitter: @ZacharyKeck.

Image: White House Photo​